Welcome to this mindfulness for kids.
In this exercise,
I'm going to share some of the basics of mindfulness and how it can be useful for people your age.
Reducing mindfulness is very simple.
It's just looking at each moment and not trying to label or judge,
But just being aware.
That means that we are being aware of some part of our experience.
Physical things like sights,
Sounds,
And smells that are happening in each moment that's unfolding before us.
We're not looking at whether they're good,
Bad,
Right,
Or wrong,
But just noticing the actual experience as it's happening.
That's pretty easy,
Right?
Unfortunately,
Sometimes it can be hard.
Try bringing awareness right now to the feelings that you have in your stomach or belly as you breathe.
Go ahead,
Breathe deep,
Inhaling and exhaling.
Focus on what it feels like to breathe in your belly.
Don't look at it as good or bad or right or wrong.
Just pay attention.
How did that go?
Were you able to do it the whole time?
It might have been a little bit harder than you anticipated or thought,
And maybe your mind started to think about other things.
Maybe you began to think that you weren't doing it right or felt kind of funny or insecure.
You could have gotten bored or even worried.
But there are a lot of different mindfulness tools that can help you be present and to learn to practice self-compassion and empathy for others.
To build the skills of concentration and impulse control and to navigate the many challenges that you might face as you're growing up.
The more you practice mindfulness each day,
The more value you'll see of slowing down,
Maybe putting aside some of your digital devices and simply breathing.
I encourage you each day to spend some time without a tablet or a phone or a computer in stillness and mindfulness.
Excellent.
Nice job.
So to recap,
The practice of mindfulness is simple.
It's just noticing what's happening each moment without judging it.
That means being aware of your experience,
Like physical sensations,
Sights,
Sounds,
And smells.
Just pure noticing of the actual experience as it happens.
I hope this has been helpful for you and thank you for joining me in your mindfulness.
